Moms on the Foreign Field

It has taken me awhile, but I love the expats. I have formed bonds and friendships with the foreigners here that I will cherish for the rest of my days.

The moms in our community are AMAZING! Most of them have 3 or more children, in China, in a foreign language, preparing their homes and food, all with foreign supplies. Their abilities, endurance, and fearlessness astounds me. I admire them greatly.

The mom in my small group particularly amazes me with what she can cook. She came to China in the late 80s/early 90s. She smuggled Bibles in to China from Taiwan (southern China). She came to China when she had to make her own cheese and milk. She had to learn the language on her own, use vouchers to purchase food on her own, and make do through her own ingenuity.

Now, she has four children and China has become more open to the West.

This Chun Jie two-week break she has been inviting families and singles over regularly. My friend and I went over a couple days ago. This woman made an AMAZING homemade/pizzeria-like crust with a white, garlic sauce. After this delicious lunch, she made homemade chocolate sauce to go on top of our homemade vanilla ice cream (rolled in a ice cream maker ball by the family – this gift was sent to them by her parents in Maine). Most of her “from scratch” recipes come from the Wycliffe cookbook. THOSE wives/mothers must be PARTICULARLY amazing!! (We discussed this that day.)

Every Tuesday the singles in our small group go to their home for dinner. We joke that hers is the best meal we get in the week. We are never disappointed. The rule of her house is to not leave hungry. We do not.

Another family came here (for the second time) with four children all 5-years-old and under. How do you do it? How do you suck it up, bundle up the surplus of children (as compared to the Chinese requirement of 1 and the Korean usual of 2,) and try to pay bills and buy groceries with a limited amount of language in a limited amount of space? How do you balance the allowance of touching and attention that your cute, foreign babies will bring with the decision to say, “Gou la! Zai jian!” (“Enough! See you later!”)

You do it because you must and this is your job. You do it even though the world stares at you because of your many blonde-haired, blue-eyed babies. You do it because that is what the Lord has given you to do and you decided to respond to His call.

May the Lord strengthen the hands of these ladies! May they trust in the Lord to meet all their needs of companionship, with-it-ness, and patience. May they look at the unknown of each day and bring it to the Lord. May they be content with the job the LORD has given to them, at home, and not be bitter or jealous of their husbands who seem like they are being more productive for the kingdom in this new country. (This new country where they don’t know HOW they are ministering in it…when they are doing the stuff at their foreign home that they could have done much better in their home-country home.)

Indeed, they will learn how to survive and then, by God’s grace and their sanctification, they will learn how to thrive.

Pray for these ladies! May they find their contentment in Him and joy in the jobs they have at home that often limit them from being able to reach out to neighbors (whose language they often cannot speak – yet). The beginning is always frustrating, but with time and patience and study, it will come and their ministries will be opened wide. (Hallelujah!)